Author
Topic: Former Orthodox who wants to come back (Read 1080 times)

MY name is Robert and I'm new to this forum. I was born an RC but was brought into the Orthodox Church (ROCOR parish) when I was 19, back in 2000. I stayed Orthodox for a couple years but ended up reverting back to Catholicism. Now, after many years, I have decided that it might be a good idea for me to return to the Eastern Orthodox Church. How exactly would I go about this and what would need to be done to bring me back into the Orthodox fold? I was originally ROCOR but I assume that I can re enter Orthodoxy through any jurisdiction with a valid priest. If I entered Orthodoxy by going to a Greek Orthodox priest then could I get a transfer from ROCOR to the GOA?

Also, is it true that people who apostatized from Orthodoxy must be brought back by re Christian or would just a simple confession to a priest suffice? Also, how do you go about getting a transfer from one jurisdiction to another?

Thank you for any help with this.

Robb

« Last Edit: July 05, 2009, 02:18:57 PM by Robb »

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Men may dislike truth, men may find truth offensive and inconvenient, men may persecute the truth, subvert it, try by law to suppress it. But to maintain that men have the final power over truth is blasphemy, and the last delusion. Truth lives forever, men do not.-- Gustave Flaubert

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like, from your initial description, that you may have suffered from "convert burnout." THere have been several threads dedicated to that phenomenon here. If I may be so bold to ask, what prompted you to go back to the RC only to reconsider the EO later? As long as you have an honest answer, then I think you will be fine. I just hope that you don't end up "swiming the Tiber" again five years down the line. It doesn't matter which jurisdiction you choose, but make sure you have a good relationship with the particular parish and priest that you decide to go with. I don't know if you would need to be rechrismated, reexoricsed or what. I have a feeling that the ROCOR would be more likely to do that than the GOA, but I could be wrong. Good luck to you.

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Thank you for your replies. I hope that I end up staying this time too and will do my best to be a good Orthodox Christian. I reverted to the Rc because I was, at the time, surrounded by a see of heterodox believers (including my Catholic family). I tried to be a good Orthodox person but when you are surrounded by people who not only believe differently then you, but also constantly question your beliefs and put pressure on you to return to theirs then you have some problems.

Unfortunately, I am still in this situation but I can always try my best again. It is true that there is no guarantee that I will remain Orthodox the rest of my life, but is there any guarantee that any of us will persevere till the end. All I can do is try my best.

Robb

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Men may dislike truth, men may find truth offensive and inconvenient, men may persecute the truth, subvert it, try by law to suppress it. But to maintain that men have the final power over truth is blasphemy, and the last delusion. Truth lives forever, men do not.-- Gustave Flaubert

If you left the EOC for the RCC, you will probably be re-initiated by Chrismation.

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I probably should say that I was never officially re initiated into the RCC. I just went to confession and the priest told me that he thought it would suffice for me reenter the fold.

I never was re confirmed and I certainly didn't take any pledge to rejoin in Fold of a priest.

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Men may dislike truth, men may find truth offensive and inconvenient, men may persecute the truth, subvert it, try by law to suppress it. But to maintain that men have the final power over truth is blasphemy, and the last delusion. Truth lives forever, men do not.-- Gustave Flaubert